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Monday, June 29, 2015

Well, so much for that unplanned vacation from the blog. I'm pretty sure it has been less than a month since I posted my "good-bye" post, yet I'm back here checking in. I promise I won't make a habit of this, but I have some time to kill and I happened to pick up a pack of Stadium Club while I was at Target today. So let's get down to the contents of my first pack in a few months!

Well, I couldn't think of a better first card to pull than the one above. I'm usually bombarded by Giants and Yankees when I open packs, but it looks like the card gods were on my side today. As we all know (probably), Stadium Club is Topps' photo focused brand (that assonance!), and I think they did a wonderful job this year. The "name plate" -- or whatever you wanna call the whole name, position, etc... on the bottom -- is unobtrusive and allows the photography to shine. I don't have a problem with the foil "name plates" -- again, call them what you wish -- though they don't necessarily come through so great in pictures. Too bad I don't have my scanner anymore. Oh, and darn you Topps for figuring out a way to get that picture onto a baseball card. I spent a few hours trying get that picture onto the custom cards I was making at one time, but I could never figure out a way to crop it correctly. Meh, guess that's why I don't work for Topps. At least we both had the same game in mind...

The rest of the pack was rather unexciting in comparison to the Kersh on top.

Meh. I like Tyson, but Padres cards are always just a little bleh to me. I think the organization should take Marcus' advice and revert to the brown and yellow unis.

David Ortiz is a decent pull. I enjoy the image; there is just something about these low angle shots that grab my attention. Just to think, I used to PC Big Papi only a few months ago...

It feels a little weird to say, but I got a little unlucky with this pull. I'm not totally positive, but I think inserts are seeded every few packs or so. I'm not generally a fan of inserts, though I kinda like this design. I think it loses a little of its luster being mixed in with some fantastic photography, but I'll take it nonetheless. I think I may have liked this card better if I pulled it out of Flagship or something. Context.

Finally, I happened upon the sunset card of one of the better (and probably a little underrated) sluggers of the past generation. It feels weird to see Dunn in an Athletics jersey -- okay, maybe not as weird as Will Ferrell in an Athletics jersey -- but it's a cool card nonetheless.

Other bloggers are saying packs are a little overpriced, but I just think they under filled. I don't have a problem spending three bucks on a pack of cards as nice as Stadium Club, but I would like the dollar to go a bit further. Maybe seven cards a pack would be better, especially considering the 300-card set list. That said, I'm just glad these cards were available in retail this year.

Overall, I think Stadium Club is one of the best products of 2015. The pictures are fantastic. The checklist has a good mixture of legends and current players. Oh, and I pulled Clayton Kershaw in my first (and probably last) pack of the product. That alone is good enough to crown it Set of the Year in my book.